Collapsible metal tube



Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE METALTUBE Application August 10, 1938, Serial No. 224,051 In Great BritainMarch 22, 1938 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to collapsible metal tubes and moreparticularly to an improved nozzle for such tubes whereby the materialcontained in the tube may be extruded in an im- 5 proved manner.

The invention is applicable to collapsible metal tubes made of tin,tin-coated lead, or aluminum, adapted to contain tooth paste, shavingcream, face cream and the like, and in which the threaded nozzle-is anintegral part thereof.

or cream is removed from the nozzle by a brush or finger. It is alsoknown that the contaminated material tends to accumulate about thenozzle, forming unsightly deposits that give the tube an unsanitaryappearance.

The usual collapsible tube construction is one in which both the nozzle'and the threaded cap are formed of a metal, such as aluminum or tin,and the contaminatingefiect upon the extruded material was'believed tobe caused in a large part by the slight 'abraslon to which the parts aresubjected when the threaded cap is turned on the I0 nozz'le. In order toavoid the abrasion 'due to friction on the threads, it has been proposedheretofore to utilize a cap formed of a material having anon-contaminating efl'ect, such as an artificial resin, but it has beenfound that the contaminating efiect above described is decreased only toa very slight degree.

It has also been proposed heretofore to form I both the nozzle and capof a non-contaminating mouldable material but such a construction iscomparatively expensive, and, furthermore, it is not practical becauseof the difliculty in forming a joint between the metal tube andnon-metallic nozzle that is sufficiently sturdy to withstand thestresses of ordinary use .and avoid leakage and spoilage of the tubecontents.

The present invention is the resultof numerous experiments that showthat any contaminating eifect resulting from the abrasion of the threadsis negligible, and that most of the discoloration results from theslight abrasion of the metal at the rim or end of the nozzle when thematerial extruded therefrom is wiped off. It has been found thatcontamination iseffectively prevented by avoiding frictional contactbetween the tube contents and the rim of the metal nozzle of the tube.However, it is not intended that the explanation of the beneficialresults of the invention shall be limited to this theory of operation.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a devicewhich will effectively I prevent contaminating contact between theextrudedmaterial and the rim of the nozzle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that isadapted to be used in combination with existing types of collapsiblemetal 10 tubes.

In addition it is an object of this invention to provide a device of thetype described which is of simple construction and may be manufacturedeconomically.

The foregoing objects and others that will be readily apparent may beaccomplished by providing a tubular conduit of non-contaminatingmaterial that is so constructed that it may be inserted into the nozzleand may be sopositioned go by the inner surface of said nozzle that aportion of the conduit extends outwardly beyond, or has a flange whichoverlies, the rim of the nozzle. Thus the material may be extrudedthrough the conduit free from any contact, frictional or other.- 25wise, with the rim of the nozzle. v

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, referencemay be had to a detailed description hereinafter given in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, in which: 30

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of one form of the tubular conduit;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a collapsible metal tubehaving'a nozzle adapted to receive the conduit;

Figure 3 is a view, partly in cross-section of a portion of a tube,nozzle, conduit and cap in assembled position;

Figure 4 is a cross-section view of a tube and modified conduit inassembled position; and 40 Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4showing still another modification.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, in which like numbersare used to indicate like partsihroughout and without limiting the 45invention to the specific embodiments shown:

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 a collapsible metal tube I, having a nozzle 2, isformed with a threaded portion 4 adapted to receive a threaded cap 5,which is formed, preferably, of a non-contaminating 50 'material ashereinafter defined. The conduit 6 of non-metallic material is adaptedto be inserted within the nozzle and has an outer surface 1 adapted toengage the inner surface 8 of the nozzle and be held in position by thefriction of the two surfaces. A flange Q on said conduit is adapted tooverlie the rim Hi When the parts are in assembled position. Thus itwill be seen that the material extruded from the tube will pass throughaperture H in the conduit and will at all times be free of contact withthe nozzle 2.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, the conduit ii is shown formedwith a raised portion l2 cooperating with a depression l3 in the innersurface of the nozzle 2 whereby -the parts are maintained in assembledposition. In the further modification shown in Figure 5, the tubularconduit 6 is formed with portion M; which extends outwardly anappreciable distance from the nozzle 2.

The conduits hereinbefore described are formed of any non-contaminatingmaterial, by which is' meant, generically, any material which will notdiscolor or otherwise affect the tube contents under ordinary conditionsof use. Examples of such materials are plastics, such as celluloseesters and ethers, i. e., cellulose acetate, condensation products, suchas phenol-aldehyde resins, i. e., Bakelite, or other resins, artificialor natural. The materials selected will in most cases be non-metallic,and may be ceramic or mouldable material, but the invention is notlimited to such use.

The tubular conduit may be held in engagement with the nozzle in anysuitable manner with or without the addition of adhesive. For example,when resilient materials are used, the conduit may be forced into thenozzle so as to fit tightly, or it may be preferred to employ suitablethreads, grooves or recesses in the adjacent surfaces.

If desired, the conduit may be formed by the application of a liquidenamel, or other drying non-contaminating material. The inner passagewayextending through the conduit may be of any usual shape, that is,circular, oval, or slotted.

The invention thus described is not to be limited to the specificillustrative example, and it will be apparent that the invention hasmodifications and advantages other than those mentioned herein, and maybe embodied in other specific forms. All such variations are intended tobe included in the invention as defined in the following claim.

I claim:

A collapsible metal tube adapted to prevent contamination of the productextruded therefrom, comprising a nozzle at one end of the tube, aconduit formed of. non-contaminating mouldable non-metallic plasticmaterial located within said nozzle, at least a portion of the outerperipheral surface of said conduit engaging at least a portion of theinner surface of said nozzle to hold said conduit in position by saidengagement of the conduit with the nozzle, said conduit extending beyondthe end of the nozzle thereby providing a passageway through the conduitterminating beyond the end of the nozzle and conducting the extrudedproduct to a point out of contaminating contact with the end of saidnozzle. PETER WRIGHT TAINSH.

